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00:00:00 – 00:05:47
The video discusses the tragic 1959 airplane crash that killed musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, whose real name was Giles Prairie Richardson. The crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, resulted from pilot error during a snowstorm. Controversy arose when a pistol belonging to Buddy Holly was found at the crash site, leading the Big Bopper’s family to speculate whether he had survived the initial crash and sought help. Nearly fifty years later, the Big Bopper’s son initiated an exhumation to satisfy cemetery regulations for a new statue and to determine if his father had been shot. The speaker, who conducted the autopsy, found the Big Bopper's body remarkably well-preserved. X-ray results revealed over 200 fractures, confirming death was instantaneous, and there were no signs of a gunshot wound, providing closure for the family.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the tragic airplane crash on February 3, 1959, that killed the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens. The Big Bopper, whose real name was Giles Prairie Richardson, wrote “Chantilly Lace” and died alongside the other musicians and the pilot in a crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The crash occurred due to pilot error in a snowstorm. Notably, the Big Bopper’s body was ejected from the plane, landing outside a fence. A .22 caliber pistol belonging to Buddy Holly was later found at the crash site, leading to speculation among the Richardson family about whether the Big Bopper survived the initial crash and attempted to seek help. Nearly five decades later, the Big Bopper’s son contacted the speaker, sharing that the Texas Historical Commission intended to place a life-sized statue of his father at his grave, which required exhuming his body due to cemetery regulations.
00:03:00
In this segment, the speaker recounts their experience of being asked to conduct an autopsy on a man known as the Big Bopper, whose son wanted to know if his father survived a plane crash and if he had been shot. The speaker agreed to help and traveled to the cemetery to exhume the body. Remarkably well-preserved, the Big Bopper’s body was in better condition than any of the other eight to ten exhumations the speaker had performed. They decided to perform an x-ray autopsy rather than dismantling the body in front of the family. During the process, the son had a personal moment beside the casket. The x-rays revealed over 200 fractures from head to toe, indicating that survival was impossible, and there were no signs of a gunshot wound, allowing the speaker to answer both of the son’s questions.